Ben Roethlisberger leads Pittsburgh Steelers into Miami to take on the Dolphins
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is back. He looked sharp in his first game of the season, leading the Steelers to a 28-10 win over the Cleveland Browns last week. Roethlisberger will look to build on that performance as the Steelers travel
to Miami to take on the Dolphins.
Previous meetings and recent games
The Steelers and Dolphins met on the last week of the season last year, and the Steelers came away with a 30-24 win. Roethlisberger had three touchdown passes in that game while running backs Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker (who is no longer with the
Steelers) ran for over 90 yards each.
So far this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been a force to be reckoned with, even without Roethlisberger in the lineup, going 3-1 in his absence, and winning their first game with him back in the lineup. With the Ravens loss to the New England Patriots
last week, the Steelers find themselves alone in top spot in the AFC North.
The Dolphins have had an up and down season, losing two games against divisional opponents, including a 41-14 drubbing at the hands of the New England Patriots. They came up with possibly their biggest win of the season by defeating the Green Bay Packers
23-20 in overtime last weekend.
How they match up
The Dolphins normally rely on their running duo of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, but they will be going up against the league's best run defence, so look to Chad Henne to take to the air more than he is comfortable with. If the ball gets air too often,
look for Steelers cornerback Troy Polamalu to cause problems for Dolphin receivers, as he will look to shut down Henne's favorite target, Brandon Marshall, who leads the team in receptions with 37.
With Ben Roethlisberger back in the lineup, the Steelers receiving corps should see the ball more often than they have, as no Steelers receiver has yet to catch twenty passes this season. Even with Roethlisberger under center, one should still expect Mendenhall
to get his touches and be expected to move the chains along the ground.
Since the league announced they will crack down on helmet-to-helmet hits earlier in the week, and slapped linebacker James Harrison with a $75, 000 fine for his hit on Cleveland Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, Harrison has reportedly considered retiring.
Harrison claims he's unsure whether or not he can play within the boundaries of the league's new policies and was excused from team practice on Wednesday, but returned on Thursday.
What to expect
Despite Harrison's fines and the Steelers' typically physical style of play, they have stated that the league's new policy on flagrant hits to the head won't change the way they play football. Harrison is a major cog in the Steelers defence and, if he plays,
he will be critical in stopping the Dolphins run game.
Chad Henne's offence is outmatched by the Steelers' defence and the Steelers simply have too many defensive weapons for Henne to try and unscramble over sixty minutes.
Steelers will win 20-10.
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